I wish this was a man writing this to all the amazing women out there on this day of International Women’s Day celebrations. I know there a few lovely ones out there supporting the women to get to the top in order to break the glass ceiling. Day in day out, women drop out of their tracks to success for various reasons. Ofcourse, these women are not the only ones working hard but sometimes their efforts are simply unnoticed. Society teaches women to do their work behind the scenes while their male counterparts take all the credit for it.
Be the first
In recent times, the narrative is somewhat shifting. With the emergence of women leaders across the world, young women can aspire to aim higher too. Asked what she relates to her success, Michelle Obama told Oprah Winfrey at the United States of Women Summit 2018 that she is thankful for the support from family, especially the men in her life. Women all around the world are balancing it all to get to the top too. Imagine a first woman in her family trying to break the leadership and financial independence cycle. She will need a lot of courage. She must not compromise but know her value. She will have to deal with the pressure of other people’s expectations of her. Most of all, she must be ready to balance personal, home, school and work life in order to stand out.
Behind The Scenes
In this life, people won’t necessarily remember what other people say about you but they will remember what you do. That is what will shut up the naysayers. Good work is what puts most successful people ahead. For me, the fact that service drives change is why most women must be given the heads up. While everyone wants to lead, they forget that serving is what puts great leaders ahead. The invaluable lessons I grabbed from the movie, Hidden Figures, still sticks with me. It shows how three African-American women who joined NASA defied the odds and left their mark, with Katherine Johnson playing the significant role in the successful manning of the spaceflights. Her mathematical calculations helped the first American, John Glenn, to fly into space. This shows that playing in the background is not a bad thing, but is what guarantees sucess while you’re on a team. Your authentic self will eventually be noticed and soon you’ll be given a seat at the table once you prove your exceptionality.
Balancing it all
This year, the theme for international women’s day is, Balance for Better. Balancing it all is something seen to be mostly a woman’s thing. However, life is full of a lot of activities which need balance in order to achieve a goal. Balance is needed in every aspect of our lives from decision making to accomplishing a task. Balance in gender roles cannot be overemphasized more than it already has in today’s dispensation. There is the need for more men to give room for exceptional women to thrive in spaces where they both operate. In their article, Science of people spells out the differences between men and women at work. This article is interesting and very articulate in how it explains the various thought processes and reasons for certain behaviors of both men and women. You find in the article, the need for balance of both genders at the workplace and in all social settings. The more we embrace this balance and do not shove the other gender away, the greater success for such societies.
Do better
Both men and women must be better people wherever they find themselves. We must respect each other’s boundaries. We should not look back on our past failures but pick up the pieces and continue to rebuild until there is an achievement. To the women out there doing the most but not being appreciated, keep striving until the end. Your talent must not be wasted. You can strive to die empty or die in misery. The choice is yours, but I’ll dare you to die empty. And to the amazing men who support women in every way, you are the reasons why the world keeps spinning around. Let’s keep doing better.
